Coinciding with the recent Passover festival we began the (Sefirah) period, the period in which we count the days and weeks leading up to Shavuot, thus making us more aware of the most precious gift of all, namely, time. Today, I give my personal thanks to our outgoing President (Maureen Leveton) and her management team along with all members of our community for all their time and support which I have received from each of you respectively during this past year. My role as Minister could not have been successfully carried out without the direction and support which I have continued to benefit from, and for this I say a big Thank You.
Our community though small in size, represents a diverse membership which makes it both interesting and challenging. My commitment to ensuring that I am able to be as flexible and accommodating to all our members remains ongoing, and my approach continues to be focused on bringing meaning and benefit through the services which I have been contracted to provide to our membership.
I am pleased to report that during the past year, we have seen some improvement in the Synagogue / Student relationship, including occasional attendance by the students at services as well as special Friday night dinner events. I was also recently invited to join the students at their own home for a Shabbat dinner event which I was pleased to have attended.
During the past year I have coached two bar-mitzvah students, one of whom has previously celebrated his Bar-mitzvah, and the other whose bar-mitzvah is still pending. In addition, we have had special programmes and events which I have been involved in facilitating, including, an organised National Shabbat UK programme, and the recent attendance of the Roman Catholic Bishop at our Shabbat services, as well as the launch of our own synagogue choir. I have also facilitated the occasional Torah study sessions which were in the main well received by those who attended.
I pray that the almighty continue to send blessing and success to all the good work that we have achieved jointly together over the past year. I also take this opportunity of wishing our new team and Synagogue President every success within their new Leadership role, and look forward to working with you on further building our future together.
Daniel Rosenthal